Russia will demand withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe during talks, - The Telegraph
Russia will attempt to use the new round of peace talks on Ukraine to secure concessions that will weaken NATO’s defences. In particular, this involves the withdrawal of Alliance troops from Eastern European countries.
This is reported by The Telegraph, citing sources, as reported by Censor.NET.
Details
Ushakov, an aide to the Russian dictator, stated that Europe must be involved in the talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the US, as the continent will play a key role in reaching agreements.
However, diplomatic sources have told The Telegraph that Russia’s true aim in insisting on the participation of European countries is to use the next round of talks to secure concessions regarding NATO expansion. Putin has called this the "root cause" of the war.
"Putin is likely to demand that NATO’s military presence in Europe be reduced to 1997 levels – before the former Eastern Bloc countries began joining the Alliance.
This would mean the possible withdrawal of NATO troops from Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Finland, which joined the Alliance in 2023. All five countries share a border with Russia," the article states.
NATO has ruled out the possibility of withdrawing troops and nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics.
What led up to this?
- Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a security meeting involving representatives from Ukraine, the US, the EU and NATO is planned for next week.
